“Daddy, why did God let Jesus die?” Danny asked.
I suppose I could wax theological here. I have been reviewing class lecture notes on atonement theory ever since the controversy over the exclusion of “In Christ Alone” from the new Presbyterian hymnal.
So, there are four main theories about the atonement:
- ransom
- satisfaction
- penal-substitution
- moral influence
The line in “In Christ Alone” that caused a problem is “the wrath of God was satisfied.” The hymnal editors wanted to replace that line with the words “the love of God was magnified.” So, the original line is linked to the satisfaction theory, and the proposed change is… well, what is it? Isn’t it sort of all of them? Seriously, don’t all of these theories, in one way or another, show that “the love of God was magnified”?
Some Presbyterians are upset over the song being left out; even some on the committee wanted to include the song, but with the changed lyrics.
I’ve done a good job of avoiding the original question. What do I say to a 5-year-old who asks, “Daddy, why did God let Jesus die?” I was able to deflect the question by changing the subject. But Danny is no slouch – the question will come up again.
The best I can come up with is, “It was part of God’s plan.”
How would you answer a 5-year-old?
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